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Kalam Cosmological Argument (William Lane Craig's first part of the…
Kalam Cosmological Argument
al-Kindi and al-Ghazali
Concept of infinity
Potential Infinity - Exists if it is always possible to add one more to a series of events
Actual Infinity - A mathematical concept found in set theory. Refers to sets or collections with an infinite number of members. It is infinite already
Problem with the concept of actual infinity
A part within an actual infinite is equal to the whole set
Can be argued that it can't exist because it seems illogical
Argues that the world is not actually infinite, it is finite which means it has a beginning/first cause, which is God
William Lane Craig developed a modern version
William Lane Craig's first part of the argument said...
Present world would not exist in an actual infinite universe because successive additions cannot be added to an actual infinite
The present does exist, as a result of the chronological series of past events
the world must be finite
A finite universe has a beginning
Whatever began to exist must have a first cause as things cannot cause themselves
First cause of the universe must be God
Craig argued that if the universe did not have a beginning, the past must consist of a series of events that are actually infinite. Craig cannot accept that the past is an actual infinite because it is illogical (eg. number of wednesdays would equal total number of days)
Craig concluded that...
History of the universe was formed by successive additions
a collection formed by successive additions cannot be actually infinite
Therefore universe must have had a beginning in time
William Lane Craig's second part of the argument said...
If the universe had a beginning, it was either due to natural occurrences or a choice that was made
Since the rules of nature did not exist before the beginning of the universe, the universe cannot be the result of natural causes
a posteriori
inductive